


That's the way I love you

by Pearlislove



Series: Seraphina Picquery/Percival Graves Family series [5]
Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Awkwardness, F/M, Fluff, Love, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-21
Updated: 2017-01-21
Packaged: 2018-09-19 00:32:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9409622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pearlislove/pseuds/Pearlislove
Summary: Slowly, he lifted his hands to her belly, pushing them in under her blouse so they were holding onto the bare skin of her abdomen. In there, their child rested peacefully, waiting for the day when it was ready to emerge. It was an amazing feeling, knowing that he was actually holding onto a tiny life.“It’s going to be okay, I love you.” It’s as if he can read minds, because he’s there by her side suddenly, stroking her belly and kissing her on the temple and holding her tight. She smiles and nods, not yet ready to trust her own voice.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DobbyofEarth](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DobbyofEarth/gifts).



> A sequel to 'I should be fine - but I'm not', prequel to 'Babies, bosses and Sunday wake-up calls', also connecting to the side story '5 time Seraphina Picquery kissed Percival Graves and 1 time she didn't'.
> 
> I chose to gift this work to Kiraofbajor becayse they're absolutely amazing people who found me on Tumblr and dared reblogging telling me they loved my stories!

“Uh, Madame President, I don't mean to be rude, but if I could ask a question…” 

  


Tearing her eyes off her paperwork, Seraphina looked up at her personal assistant who was standing a few paces away. She was red in the face and incredibly embarrassed, obviously not meaning to finish the sentence that she had started. 

  


Her eyes darted around the room, moving from one object to another as she obviously tried to look anywhere but Seraphina’s bulging stomach, which was large enough that the desk hardly helped hiding it anymore. It was painstakingly clear that she was trying to pretend Seraphina hadn’t noticed the fact that her swelling midsection had been taking up the majority of her focus all morning, and Seraphina felt very much like calling her out on it because quite annoying to see the eyes travelling towards her out of the corner of her eye every time she looked away.

  


“Ask away, Mrs.Hudson, but do it quick. I got a meeting with Mr.Graves in half-an hour.” Her tone was snappish, and she looked back down at her paperwork, praying for the half hour to pass quickly. She needed Percival's support right now more than ever 

  


“ I’m...I.. are you pregnant?” In the end, the only way the young woman could get her question out there was incredibly blunt, asking her about it straight up. She seemed highly uncomfortable with the confrontation, though, and was probably fearing for her job at the moment.

  


Seraphina highered her left eyebrow. “I am indeed. I am almost six months along, two thirds of the way, and before you ask, I do not have a hunch about the baby's gender.” The last statement was a huge lie. Though if anyone asked she’d claim she did not believe in women sensing the gender of their babies, she was still absolutely certain she was going to have a girl. She didn’t know how she could know it, or where the instinct came from, but to her it felt obvious. It was just something she’d never admit.

  


Her assistant looked taken back, shocked and surprised at her willingness to confirm her condition. “Oh. Well, congratulations Madam President. I’m sure you and your husband will be very happy with this little addition to the family.”

  


_ ‘You and your husband _ ’. It was a perfectly innocent, if a bit old fashioned, assumption,  and Seraphina didn’t blame her for it. Out of wedlock pregnancies were to this day huge scandals, and she of all people wouldn’t be believed to be guilty of this. Still, that didn’t change the fact that it hurt. It hurt because she knew that even if they wanted to, she and Percival could never get married, it would be far too controversial. Not only was she dark skinned and he was not, but they both held positions of power and influence at MACUSA. A marriage would be seen as downright suspicious, a political game to try and gain more power and control. It wouldn’t been the first time such an accusation had been made, considering their well known friendship, though it was ridiculous. How could one have more power than the head of the hole thing?

  


“Excuse me, but I need to go to my meeting with Mr.Graves.” She stood from her chair abruptly, leaning on the desk as a sudden wave of nausea passed over her and placed a protective hand on her stomach, fearful as ever of the fragile little life inside. Then, when she felt better, she started making her way to the door. If she left now she’d be fifteen minutes early, but she couldn’t wait another minute.

  


\---

  


He was standing out in the work area, inspecting a recently appointed senior aurors paperwork to make sure it was up to speed, as Seraphina rushed headfirst into law enforcement, pregnant belly and all, fifteen minutes before they had scheduled a ‘meeting’. He took it with stride, willing away the surprise from his face after just a minute.

  


“Picquery!” He said smiling a devilish, lopsided grin, enjoying the sight of his beloved, beautiful as always even in the increasingly loose fitting clothes that she was forced to wear. “You’re early to our meeting.”

  


“I got a bit of a tight schedule afterwards, I thought perhaps we could start a little early?” She kept her voice formal and polite, hiding her emotions as she was used to, but when their eyes locked, hers was full of despair, begging for him to help her  _ now _ , that she needed him right at that moment and not in fifteen minutes as they agreed.

  


He didn’t wait a minute to nod in agreeance, throwing the paper work back down on the aurors desk, letting Seraphina follow him into his office where they’d be guaranteed privacy.  “Goldstein!” He barked, back turned to the door. “You’re in charge. This meeting is not to be disturbed under any circumstances. I don’t care if Grindelwald himself appear, either you deal with it or it can wait half an hour!”

  


He didn't even look to see that Miss Goldstein answered, quickly closing the door behind him and his lover, locking it for good measure before turning to face her. “Are you okay?” She’d been so desperate out there. He had counted on her getting a little more upset and a little more emotional, now that she was getting big enough that people would actually start to notice and comment on it, but that starre had held something. 

  


“So far today I’ve told five people I'm pregnant.” She breathed, sighed, her body slumping as she seated herself in his office chair. He didn’t complain - she looked pale and probably was in need of sitting down for a while. He didn’t want to risk harming the baby after all. “Thankfully no one has asked about my assumed husband.”

  


“They’re not stupid, they know you would fire them if they tried to pray too much. Still, it doesn't answer my question. Are you okay?” Carefully, he sat down on the floor next to the chair, his head ending up at the same level as his girlfriend's swollen stomach. For the longest time, Seraphina hadn’t been showing much at all, certainly not enough for people to get suspicious, but now it was suddenly all too obviously that she was expecting, and he wanted to know that she felt alright with the change.

  


Slowly, he lifted his hands to her belly, pushing them in under her blouse so they were holding onto the bare skin of her abdomen. In there, their child rested peacefully, waiting for the day when it was ready to emerge. It was an amazing feeling, knowing that he was actually holding onto a tiny life.

  


“I’m fine. I’m just scared what will happen when more people starts to hear about it, or worse, figure it out on their own.  It’ll be a holy mess.” She sigh, smiling down at Percival as he massaged her belly with his hands, caressing it. When she first met him, she had no idea that those hands could be so careful. He had only been fourteen, and from a rich family, yet they were calloused and hardened already.

  


Until this day, those hands hadn't gotten softer for anyone. Quite the opposite, they’d gotten harder and more well used for every year that passed. There was only one person that these hands would be soft and gentle with, only one, and that was her.

  


“ It'll be fine. We’ve had female presidents long enough that they gotten used to the idea of them having children. And even if it turns into a mess, It’ll be worth it.” Percival said suddenly, removing his hands from her belly and taking them back to himself. She immediately found that she missed the warmth and the gentle massage, and gave out a little noise of complaint that was entirely undignified. “Oh, don’t whine, daddy's here.” 

  


Percival grabbed her arms, tugging her down on the floor with him and holding her tight. “I’ll always be here” He whispered into her neck, hot breath at the spot between her neck and collarbone, big hard hands squeezing her arms. She felt so safe that she didn’t know how she’d gone so long without it. 

  


“I know you will.” She simply answers, and doesn’t try to think of how easily breakable that promise is. How easy it is for either of them to just be gone one day, leaving the other completely abandoned. His hands are back on her belly, along with her own, and he started guiding her hands into massaging it herself. It felt almost as good as it did when he did it, and she noted how to move her hands for another time.

  


*knock*

  


“Mr.Graves? Donovan is back from her mission. Can she come in?” The knock was followed familiar voice of Porpentina Goldstein calling from the other side of the door and they're both immediately startled, not having realised how fast time went by.

  


Graves jumps to his feet, but Seraphina with her swollen, heavy body and falls back down on her butt, barely keeping upright and still trying not to topple over completely by the time Miss Goldstein open the door and went inside, followed by the recently hired, red haired Miss Donovan.

  


Both of them flush with hot red embarrassment as they see what they’ve walked in on, backing towards the door as fast as they could and almost falling over, too.

  


“I’m so sorry…” Miss Goldstein begins, shaking and red in the face.

  


“We’ll come back later!” Miss Donovan squeals, high pitched and wailing as she raced the other woman out the door. 

  


The heavy door close behind them with a thud, and it barely takes a moment before both Percival and Seraphina burst out laughing, completely taken back by the sudden situation.

  


“Oh my  _ god _ !” Seraphina exclaimed, laughter shaking her entire body as she simply couldn’t contain it, falling over on her back as she kept giggling in the most undignified manner.  “Their  _ faces _ !”

  


They had been so terrified, two poor aurors who’d walked in on a highly inappropriate scene.

  


“They probably thought they were getting fired on the spot!” Percival laughed too, deep and echoing to rival his girlfriend's high-pitched tones. “You alright though?”

  


He offer her a hand, and with his help, she is soon standing on her own two legs again, baby bump and all. She doesn't want to leave, but knows enough time had passed that it would be suspicious to stay much longer in his office. 

  
  


“It’s going to be okay, I love you.” It’s as if he can read minds, because he’s there by her side suddenly, stroking her belly and kissing her on the temple and holding her tight. She smiles and nods, not yet ready to trust her own voice.

  


“I’ll see you soon.” She says at last, some of her normal demeanor back in her voice as she turn around to look at him before leaving his office. 

  


It didn’t feel okay, and she wasn't ready to face the invasive, nosy people who seemed to make up the majority of the people employed in the Woolworth building, but she was going to do it anyway.

  


Because, it was what a President did.


End file.
